Masala Dosa

The needle of the clock has crossed 12 and another day has started. The neighborhood is quiet and everyone is asleep. Everyone, expect me and my husband.

For us, this is a part of our ‘day’. Our day ends at small hours in the morning and not surprisingly, we catch upon our sleep by dozing off for  sometime after dropping the kid at the bus stop. But not on weekends.

Kiddo’s body clock is set to wake up at 6:40 AM and 6.40 it is, whether it is weekend or weekday. So in another six hours, the rush of the morning will start. Me, sleep deprived since I won’t be able to have a nap, will be grumpy at everyone for no fault of theirs. Kiddo will be violently protesting on having to leave the house to attend a function.

My hubby, who has a much better sense of balance, will loose it when we won’t be able to locate the place where the function is being conducted. But then, that’s how life is – full of little tamashas and masalas.

Anyway, that’s for the morning. Right now, let me enjoy my ‘day’ and the masala that every single day brings onto our life.

And here is a bit of masala for you, this time literally – in the form of masala dosa. Enjoy the recipe.

Check out this link at VeggieBelly for all the tips and tricks to make the perfect dosa batter.

Ingredients:

• Dosa Batter (ready made /home made)  :   1 L approx
• Potatoes                                                                :   4 -5 medium, boiled
• Onions                                                                    :   1-2, large
• Green Chillies                                                      :   3-4
• Ginger                                                                     :   1/2″ piece
• Turmeric Powder                                              :   1/2 tsp

Tempering

• Oil                                                                            :     1 -2 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds                                                   :      1 tsp
• Urad dal  & Gram dal                                      :       1/2 tsp each
• Curry leaves                                                       :        1 sprig

Method:

1. Pressure cook the potatoes for 3-4 whistles or till they are cooked thoroughly. Retain the water in which they are cooked.
2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add the dals and curry leaves and wait till it starts to brown.
3. Add the onion, ginger and green chillies. Saute till the onions are cooked. Add the potatoes, turmeric powder and salt. Add half cup of water in which the potatoes were cooked, if the curry appears to be too dry.
4. Mash some of the potatoes with a wooden spoon so that the masala thickens a bit.
5. I let this boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring now and then. Check and adjust the seasonings and keep aside.
6. Make dosas and once both the sides are cooked, take off the pan, add two tablespoons of the filling in the centre and fold over.
7. Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Linked to:

• Blogging Marathon #14, under ‘Seven Days of Dosa’ theme

Pesarattu

Kiddo was having lunch today and he suddenly demanded the ‘yellow sweet dish’ he had the other day with dosa. He couldn’t recollect the name of the dish. After much thought, he said it sounded something like ‘grappoli’.

‘Grappoli’, I ask you!? What a clue to look for something! He couldn’t tell us whether it was solid, liquid or semi solid. When quizzed about the shape, he said it could be square, rectangle, circle or anything.

Now it was getting more confusing. Finally, I asked him whether he remembers where mommy took it from.

‘From the left side of the kitchen, Mommy’. I went to the left side. ‘The other left, Mommy’.

So I turned to my other left and that’s when the lightning struck. Jaggery. The yellow sweet thing that he had with the yellow dosa the other day!

They sell jaggery as cubes and as round balls too. So when you start grating, the end piece’s shape can be anything – square or rectangle or like a ball, depending on the shape you started with. It will be shapeless when grated using a vegetable peeler and served on the plate. The relief of knowing the answer finally, I tell you, cannot be described in words!

So here is the yellow moong dal pesarattu that was served with tomato chutney for my husband. But my son enjoyed these with a good serving of ‘grappoli’.

The original recipe can be read here.

Ingredients:

• Moong dal                           :        2 cups
• Rice                                        :        2 tbsp
• Green Chillies                    :        4 -5 , per taste
• Ginger                                   :        1” piece
• Onion                                    :         1 small, quartered

Method:

1. Wash and clean dal and rice. Soak them in water for 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain the water, add the chillies, ginger and onion and grind to a smooth dosa batter consistency, adding water as required.
3. Heat a tawa or a frying pan. Add half a teaspoon of oil and coat the base of the pan using a wooden spoon. Take a ladle full of batter, and pour and spread it in circular motion into a thin circle.
4. Add a teaspoon of oil around the dosa and when there aren’t any wet patches left on the top side and the bottom begins to brown, carefully lift and flip over and cook the other side.
5. Take off the pan, serve hot with ‘grappoli’ or a spicy chutney of your preference.

Linked to:

• Blogging Marathon #14, under ‘Seven Days of Dosa’ theme